Apparatus for moistening stencil-blanks.



LQIAQL s. ELLIOTT, APPARATUS FOR MOISTENING STENCIL BLANKS.

APPLICATlON FILED SEPT- Hi, I915- P atented Jan. 2, 1917.

S. ELLIOTT.

APPARATUS FOR MOISTENING STENCIL BLANKS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 16, I915.

LEQML Patented Jan. 2,1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

291835 .Zmwemfaw;

AKEZ/DM. v 4 am M STERLING ELLIOTT, OF NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

APPARATUS FOR. MOISTENING STENCIL-BLANKS.

ei en.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 2, 391?.

Application filed September 16, 1915. Serial No. 51,096.

like, must be in a moist condition when embossed or printed by a typewriting machine,

so that the impact of the type will not break the paper. Usually the stencil-blanks are moistened by a brush which has been dipped in water. The brush method consumes considerable time, as each stencil-blank must be separately moistened, and then the moistened stencil-blanks are taken separately by the operator and placed in the typewriting machine to have an address or other matter embossed or printed, so to speak, thereon. Furthermore, this method of moistening'is exceedingly unsatisfactory, for the reason that the amount of water applied is frequently more than is necessary, which results in wetting the type and adjacent parts of the type-writing-machine, causing them to rust.

This invention has for its object the con struction of an apparatus especially adapted for moistening stencil blanks, it comprising moisteni'ng-means for the stencil-blanks, and feeding-means for feeding the stencil blanks serz'atz'm from a pile to the moisteningmeans and for then delivering them upon a shelf, or other element, whereby they may be readily grasped by the operator and placed in the typewriting-machine, and operating-means for said feeding and moistening-means having a handle or equivalent member, so arranged that by a simple turn of the handle, all the motions may be performed to deliver a moistened stencil-blank into a position whereby it is readily accessible.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a stencilblank moistening and delivering-device em bodying this invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section. Fig. 4 is a transverse section through the stencil-blank receptacle and moistening-device. Fig. 5 is an enlarged longitudinal vertical section of an essential portion of the moistening-device,

and, Fig. 6 is a sectional detail showing an end-view of the moistening-device.

The main frame-work 1 has a table 2' with a flat top. On said table a pair of guiding and supporting elements for the stencilblanks are arranged, said elements being made as opposites and designated at 4 and 5. Each said element has a pair of lips arranged with a narrow space between them to form a guide-way for the stencil-blanks, and said elements are arranged on the table, in a horizontal plane, and disposed to receive the" stencil-blanks between them with the. ends 7 of the blank arrainged in and free to move along the guide-way formed by them, the stencil-blanks resting on the lower lips. Superimposed on each said element is an upright end-guide 6, said guides being made substantially alike but as opposites, and having a channel in one side, and said end-guides are arranged with their channels facing each other. The upper lips of the guiding and supporting elements are cut away coextensive with the channels of the end-guides to admit of a pile of stencilblanks which are arranged between said guides and in the channels thereof to rest on the lower lips of the guiding and supporting elements, in order that the lowermost stencil-blank of the pile may be removed from the bottom of the pile and moved along the guide-ways of the guiding and supporting elements. A sliding-pusher is provided for moving the stencil-blanks forward, one at a time, which is here shown in Fig. 2 as a plate 8, having its forward edge recessed to form a pair of stencil-blank engaging-portions 9, or in lieu thereof, to otherwise form an engaging-portion. The sliding-pusher is made of a width substantially equal to the length of the stencil-blank. The plate 8 is secured to the top of a block 12, which is supported on a horizontally disposed sliding-bar 13, arranged in bearings beneath the table. A pin 14 extends downward from the block 12, to which is loosely connected one end of a link 15, the other end of which link is connected to the extremity of one arm 16, of a bell-crank lever, pivoted at 17, the other arm 18 of which lever has connected with it, by a universal-joint, one end of a link-19, the other end of which link is connected by a universal-joint with a crank-arm 20, arranged on a shaft 21, having its bearings in the frame-work and to which a hand-crank 22 is secured.

The hand-crank 22 is adapted, upon each complete rotation, to move the slidingpusher forward a distance equal to the Width of a stencil-blank, and to return the same to its normal position preparatory to engaging the next stencil-blank of the pile.

In lieu ofthis form of feeding-means for the stencil-blanks, other forms may be employed adapted to feed forward the stencilblanks one at a time. The stencil-blank, which is fed forward by the pusher, is

moved. into position for engagement with The mois'tening-means arranged dirertly front of the pile of stencil-blanks.

moistening-means, here shown, consists of an endless-band 25 of some water-absorbing material, extended over the table and down into a water-containing receptacle 26. The

under part of that portion of the band which 1 raised at such place to bring it very close to the underside of the stencil blank. The upper part of that portion of the band which is arranged above the table extends over the tops'of said elements 4 and 5. One end of the endless-band passes over an idle-roll 30 journaled in a bracket 31, secured to one end of the main-frame at the side of the element 4. At the opposite end of the table an intermediate portion of the endless-band passes over two rolls 35 and 36, arranged side by side and close together, the upper part of the band passing over the roll 35,

' and the under part passing over the roll 36,

and by the close association of the two rolls said under part is engaged by both rolls and is thereby pressed as the rolls rotate to squeeze out the surplus water from the band. The other end of the endless-band extends downward from said rolls 35, 36, and passes around a roll 38, arranged in thewater-containing receptacle 26, near the bottom thereof, so that the band which passes over said roll is submerged'in the water. The lower r011 38 over which the end of the band passes, is arranged for adjustment, whereby the endless-band may be tightened, and, as here shown, said roll has its journals arranged in vertical slots 39 of its sup-portingframe, and a yoke 40 is pivotally connected to said frame at 41 the arms of which extend over the journals of said roll 38, and by depressing said yoke, said roll is forced downward to tighten the endless-band. As

here shown the crow-n of the yoke has a setscrew 42 which is arranged to occupy a position in any part of a slot 43, in a curved arm 44, Which is pivotally secured to the frame. This form of tightening-means is simple and effective, yet my invention is not limited to the use of tightening-means of this particular structure.

One of the squeezing-rolls, as 35, serves as the driving-roll for the endless-band, and is here shown as having secured to its shaft a mutilated gear 50, which is arranged for engagement with another mutilated gear 51, secured to the hand-crank shaft 21. Upon each rotation of said hand-crank shaft, the driving-roll 35 for the endless-band is turned a part of a revolution, here shown as a third of a revolution, which is suflicient to bring a fresh or moist portion of the band in position for engaging a stencil-blank.

As the endless-band is arranged to extend over and under the stencil-blank, it is only necessary to depress the upper part of said band or deflect it to cause the band to engage both the upper and under sides of the stencil-blank, and thereby apply moisture to both faces thereof. To accomplish this result a pressure-plate 55 is arranged for movement up and down above the endlessband, at the stencil-moistening portion of the table, and, as here shown, said pressureplate is pivotally supported at one end of a lever 56, pivoted at 57, the other end of said lever bearing a roll 58 for engagement with a cam 59, which is secured to the handcrank shaft 21'of the machine, said 'cam being arranged to move the pressure-plate downward, and permit of the return of same to normal position on each complete rotationof the shaft. As the pressure-plate is depressed by the cam, the upper part of the band above the stencil-blank is depressed and caused to engage the blank and press it down onto the under part of the band, thereby applying an adequate amount of moisture to both its upper and under faces. The band is held quite taut by the tighteningmeans, so that when the acting portion of the cam passes by the roll 58, the relaxation of the band is sufiicient to lift the pressureplate and hold it-in elevated position.

A shaft 60 is attached to the forward edge of the table directly in front of the moistening-means, its upper surface being flush with the surface thereof, so that the stencilblanks may be freely moved from the moistening-position onto said shelf. Such movement may be imparted to the stencil-blank by the aforesaid feeding-device including the sliding-pusher, which, when engaging the lowermost stencil-blank of the pile and moving it forward causes said blank to move forward the blank ahead of it, and which is in position to be acted upon by the moistening-device to push it forward onto the shelf. Said shelf is entirely exposedandis made large enough to receive upon it a stencil-blank in a substantially entirely exposed position, and is easily accessible so as to. be grasped by the operator and placed immediately in the typewriting-machine.

, This means for receiving the moistened stenwith the endless-band. Furthermore, by a simple turning movement of the hand-crank the stencil-blank is moved forward a distance substantially equal to its width, so that at each turning movement a moistened blank is delivered to and left reposing on the shelf. ready to be grasped by the operator.

The feature here shown, of a pusher arranged to remove the lowermost stencil from the pile, in such manner as to turn it with respect to the stencil blanks above it, forms the subject-matter of my application #82317, filed March 6, 1916.

I claim 1. In an apparatus of the kind described, the combination of a receptacle for a pile of stencil-blanks, guiding and supportingmeans for the stencil-blanks, moisteningmeans arranged for engagement with both the upper and under sides of the blank, including a presser, means to operate the presser, receiving-means for the moistened stencil-blanks, and a feeding-device for feeding the blanks successively from the receptacle to the moistening-means, and thence to the receiving-means, said device being operatively connected with the means to operate the presser.

2. In an apparatus of the kind descrlbed, the combination of guiding and supportingmeans for the stencil-blanks, water-absorbing means arranged above andbelow the stencil-blank held thereby, and means to press said water-absorbing means into engagement with the stencil-blank.

3. In an apparatus of the kind described, the combination of guiding and supportingmeans for the stencil-blanks, water-absorbing means arranged above and below the stencil-blank held thereby, and means to press said water-absorbing means into engagement with the stencil-blank, a reservoir associated with said water-absorbing means, and intermittently operated means to move said water-absorbing means.

4. In an apparatus of the kind des aribed,

the combination of guiding and supportingmeans for the stencil-blanks, an endless water-absorbing band arranged to extend over and under said means, thereby to engage a stencil-blank upon both its upper and under sides, and means for moving said band, andmeans for applying pressure'to said band at a predetermined portion thereof, to press the band into engagement with the stencil-blank.

5. In'an apparatus of the kind described, the combination of guiding and supportingmeans for the stencil-blanks, an endless Water-absorbing band arranged to extend over and under said means, thereby to engage a stencil-blank upon both its upper and under sides, and means for moving said band, and means for applying pressure to said band at a predetermined portion thereof, to press the band into engagement with the stencil-blank, and a reservoir associated with said band.

6. In an apparatus of the kind described, the combination of guiding and supportingmeans for the stencil-blanks, an endless water-absorbing band arranged to extend over and under said means, thereby to engage a stencil-blank upon both its upper and under sides, and means for moving said band, and means for applying pressure to said band at a predetermined portion thereof, to press the band into engagement with the stencil-blank, a reservoir and a pair of squeezing-rolls associated with said band.

7 In an apparatus of the kind described, the combination of guiding and supportingmeans for the stencil-blanks, an endless water-absorbing band arranged to .extend overand under said means, thereby to engage a stencil-blank upon both its upper and under sides, and means for moving said band, and means for applying pressure to said band at a predetermined portion thereof, to press the band into engagement with the stencil-blank, and an operating-shaft to which the pressure-applying means is connected.

8. In an apparatus of the kind described, the combination of guiding and supportingmeans for the stencil-blanks, an endless water-absorbing band arranged to extend over and under said means, thereby to engage a stencil-blank upon both its upper and under sides, and means for moving said band, a pressure-plate for engagement with a portion of said band, and means including a cam for moving said plate to press the band into engagement with the stencil-blank, said plate being elevated by the return movement of said band to normal.

9. In an apparatus of the kind described, the combination of guiding and supportingmeans for the stencil-blanks, an endless water-absorbing band arranged to extend over and under said means, thereby to engage a stencil-blank upon both its upper and the band and mutilated gears arranged on said rolls.

' 10. In an apparatus of the kind described, the combination of guiding and supportingmeans for the stencil-blanks, an. endless water-absorbing band arranged to extend over and under said means, thereby to engage a stencil-blank upon both its upper and under, sides, rolls supporting said band including a pair' of squeezing-rolls, one of which serves as a driving-roll for moving the band, and another is arranged to submerge a portion of the band in water, and

P adjusting-means for said submerging-roll.

11. In an apparatus of the kind described, the combination of a receptacle for a pile of stencil-blanks, guiding and supportingmeans for the stencil-blanks associated therewith and extended therefrom, an endless water-absorbing band arranged to extend over and under said means'for engagement with "a stencil-blank which is held feeding-device for feeding the stencil-blanks from the receptacle into position for engagement with the endless-band, and an operating-shaft to which the feeding-device the moving-means forthe endless-band, and the pressuresapplying means are connected;

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

STERLING ELLIOTT.

Witnesses:

B. J.-NOYES, H. B. DAVIS. 

